Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1887-03-25

Not by discussion. God will take care OF his own
defense and doesn't thank you for any help; nor
has he any occasion to thank anybody. Are you
willing to take the Bible just as shipmaster
takes the chart? When he leaves the last shore
light and takes his direction he never says: Read
me direction two of the sailing directions,
and then read me the draughtings inside again
and then again They have no relation at all to
his course to his actual sailing; but he is not 60
ing to read so many parts of his chart and of his
sailing directions. Why no; he lays out his voy-
age from the beginning and every day he takes
observations, and then he checks down on the
chart just where he is. At noon tomorrow he
takes another observation; not because there is
any need of reading his chart, in reading any
book on navigation; not because he is studying
astronomy for the sake of anything that is in
astronomy. He has got a definite purpose in life;
after which he sells his astronomy, and after
which he sells his books, or those which lay his
course. Are you willing to begin a Christian
course and voyage by going to the word of God
to ascertain exactly what is expected of you
both what you are to reject and what you are to
adopt? That is sensible that is right, resolving,
according to practical basis and resolution. Or
on the other hand, are you, while you are weigh
ing, that is, in yourself, are you saying to
yourself: my other people of God got on the
best way. There is my father and mother. If
there were ever any Christians they were such
L DtlieV0 Luey Wtfo Tcdl Sur1StlauS. NOW, q
mans mother is infinitely more to him than the
Virgin Mary is to any devout Catholic.
You come into the church because you find
sympathy there and kindly help there. Are you
willing to take advantage of all these kindly
helps, so that you may be able to keep your pur-
pose and your will? Are you willing to begin it
now? You don't need any more knowledge You
have been brought up in Christian knowledge
from the very cradle; you have no bad associa-
tions; you have necessarily none by the average,
but what Christian life was and Christian duty, is
there-there is no man hGge that needs to have
additional instruction; he knows that he is bound
to live obedently to God and in love with Jesus
Christ But can man come into state of emo
ton? Can man by simply saying will, feel?
No; no; but by saying will feel he can take the
steps to feel A man shivers and says, s'Chills
and fever are not agreeable; am determined to
get over them" Well, you cannot get over them
by determining it, but if you will take quinine
enough you can. Now, let your purpose he not
simply this Il am resolved to be Christian"
but Il am resolved so unostentatiously. l am
going to feel myself for all the help Lean and all
the Christian institutions that are necessary for
my veal" Now, that is practical ano hat is
common sense as well as moral sense Or are
you going to say, well, will see about it.
No, you won't; you know it. And that thing
we have in ourtimes, when a 10th debtor, he has
given note not for the sake of paying debt
but for the sake of getting rid of paying it they
put it off for four months, and then they give an
other note. 1t is the greenback business, in
which they pay one note by giving another
There are multtudes of people that form a reso-
luton for the sake of not fulfilling a duty, and
man says, well, have made up my mind am
going to be a Christian as soon as get ready
When are you going to get ready? 1t has
clouded your conscience and clouded your reason
now by promising to do that, by and by, when
the convenient time comes; and the devil will see
to it that it never comes. 1t is resolution that
simply means the feeling of having done your
duty. And think the most scandalous mean
nesseS and diShonorableness that can very well
be imagined, when the parties concerned are re-
garded, is that resolution that people form to be
a Christian, when they have wasted themselves
in the service of selfshness, and when they have
come into old age and lie on their death bed.
Ishould think myself very mean if, in the sum-
mer time, I should gather peck of peas and
shell out the peas, and send the pods over to my
neigbbor as a present. That is what men mean
to do with God; they mean to live in youth after
their passions; they mean to live in middle age
after their ambition; they mean to live in old
age after ease and before they die they hope to
whip on the right side and get into heaven. When
you come to examine such conduct in relation to
men, there is not savage that would not feel
that was infamous-to repay protection, divine
benediction, the ministration of God through
all the channels of nature and the kindness of God
through Jesus Christ for the ministration of the
gospel; and the man deliberately says, we will
seek all the money out of these things and all the
rest that is in life, and when we are no longer of
use to ourselves we are going-we will repent so
as to get into heaven. Two Dutch elders had been
warm friends and yet one. day they fell out with
each other and the fire grew fiercer until they
came positively to hate each other, and one Sun
day morning the dominic going behind one of
the elders heard him mutter to himself, ivan
Alstyne is hypocrite he will go to hell, he will
go to hell.'' The old dominic spoke up to him and
said: "Oh, oh, my brother, he won't go to hell"
Eyes he will go to hell.'' 'Well, but my dear
fellow, he may repent" ''No-well he is lust
mean enough to do it, But this is-it is can
didly-the condition in which some of you are.
You mean to live shatefully, dsobediently, dis
honorably and yet in the last estate you mean to
whip up and get into heaven-you are lust mean
enough to do it,
long suffering, and he is patient, and we would
pay debt, by installments, little by little, show
ing all the time that we endeavor to do it. he re-
spects your endeavor to live to repent and to live
a Christian life, by instalments.
If you make up your mind honestly to do it, he
will bear with your incompetence and your ig-
norance and your endearments; he will bear pa
tiently with you, and help you from day to day,
and from month to month, and from year to year,
growing brighter and brighter unto the perfect
day." Is there any man here that can say in re-
gard to the past, am resolved that I will cut
loose from everything that has been a detriment
to me, dishonorabe to God? Is there any man
that will say in regard to the future, 81 am re-
solved what to do? am resolved to take higher
life, the nobler ideal; am determined, by the
help of God, that will live in such way that
should live" And if there is, don't wait until
tomorrow morning; readjust your life tonight;
go home and tell God of it; go home and tell
your wife of it. That is the very thing you
don't dare to do because when man has once
committed himself he is ashamed to go back; and
if you are ashamed to tell anybody Il have made
up my mind to live like a Christian man. it is
because you have not made up your mind. When
a man has determined that he will live a Christian
life he will be willing to show to all that are
around about him, II am going to try. I have
made up my mind to try If you have mind
you will enter upon your journey 1.-THE time
is past in which have served the will of the
flesh, and now, tonight, 1 have determined that
will begin, with the help of God, to live Christian
life" Are there any Of you that are willing to
make that resolve? God help you. For little
while it will be troublesome thing, for little
while, but then easier and easier, with remu-
neration and exhilaration and joy and final VIC